Organic electronic devices convert electrical energy into radiation, detect signals through electronic processes, convert radiation into electrical energy, or include one or more organic semiconductor layers. Organic electronic devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), hold great promise for future use as large area flat panel displays. The fabrication of such displays is occasionally plagued by process irregularities. Some of these irregularities can eventually manifest themselves as defects that limit the life or acceptability of a display. Defects such as leakage currents or short circuits are common problems during the operation of organic electronic devices, which result in thermal breakdown and catastrophic failure of the devices.
Detecting a defect by waiting for a shorted pixel to occur and then performing failure analysis to determine the cause is not desirable. At least two problems exist with this technique. If there are multiple imperfections within the display, determining which imperfection caused the fatal defect is time consuming and expensive. Moreover, even if the responsible defect site is located, inconclusive results would likely result because the site will be carbonized or otherwise destroyed from the high amount of heat.